NASCAR: Cassadee Pope to Sing National Anthem Ahead of Wednesday's Race

The NASCAR Cup Series continues on Wednesday night with the Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor [...]

The NASCAR Cup Series continues on Wednesday night with the Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Before the green flag, singer Cassadee Pope will set the stage for the race. She will sing the national anthem while celebrating the continued return of racing.

"Attention @NASCAR fans! I'm singing the National Anthem tonight before the race! You can watch it on @FS1! It feels good to finally have racing back," Pope tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. She joins a group of singers to perform ahead of recent races, including Darius Rucker, Jewel and veteran Edward Schrank, who spent 15 years in the United States Marines Corps.

Pope has a long history with professional stock car racing and has sung the national anthem multiple times. She first performed before an Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway in 2009. She has since gone on to be involved in both Cup Series races and the 2019 NASCAR Awards.

"I'm nervous, but I'm excited," Pope told NASCAR.com ahead of the 2019 awards. "I'm excited to be co-hosting with somebody that I really respect — Rutledge Wood is great — and co-hosting on a subject I do know a good amount about. I've already been prepping. I've already been keeping track of what's going on and all the little fights, all the little dramas that happen in NASCAR because I'm definitely going to pick on some people. I'm excited. It's going to be fun."

Wednesday night's race will be another event on her list of NASCAR performances, and Pope has expressed excitement about the opportunity. Many have shown their sadness about the 10-week postponement that threatened to derail the Cup Series season. Like many racing fans, Pope has also expressed gratitude about the return and will be tuning in to see if Brad Keselowski will secure his second consecutive victory after winning Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Following Sunday's race, Keselowski will start the Alsco Uniforms 500 in the 20th position due to the inverted starting order. William Byron will have the pole position after finishing Sunday's race in 20th. Alex Bowman, the winner of the Auto Club 400, will line up next to Byron at the start of Wednesday's race.

The Alsco Uniforms 500 is set for 8 p.m. ET, provided there isn't a rain delay. FS1 will broadcast the action while Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon serve as the in-booth commentators. The race is also available on the FOX Sports Go app but requires a subscription. Fans unable to watch on TV can listen via PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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